The Hollow Earth Theory - Angels To Others
Self-released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Last weekend, I was standing just outside the Napster Stage at the Download festival. The reason I was standing outside was because the entire marquee was rammed full of people checking out Raging Speedhorn. Me and my other half decided to stick around outside to at least listen, and at one break in between the songs, heard brick-shithouse vocalist Tony Loughlin gruffly announce "Some cheeky fucker's lobbed a demo at us. 'Angels To Others'? What the fuck's that?". Later in the weekend, the singer of Every Time I Die got a copy flung at him as well. "Oooh, demo!" He screeched happily. "Good promotion, guys!".
This tells you pretty much all you need to know about the dedication The Hollow Earth Theory have to their music, and that passion shows through in the four tracks within Angels To Others. Coming across like some psychotic amalgamation of Earthtone 9, Zero Cipher and Faith No More, this EP throws such notions as conventional song-structure and genre boundaries straight out the window, preferring instead blasts of Candiria-style noisecore riffage in the middle of breakdowns ('Still Rising'), pleasingly melodic pretention-free prog introductions ('Angels To Others') and various other diversions that you simply can't see coming, but make perfect sense in the context of the record.
Self-recorded and produced, this EP has a commendable clarity, which allows the instrumental prowess of each member to shine forth. Check out the rapid-fire double-kick drumming that powers opening track 'Like Summer' to it's first riff, or the seemingly random, brief guitar spazz-outs that occur at certain points. However, one can't help but feel that The Hollow Earth Theory would benefit massively from a full studio production, just to give their dynamic song-writing chops the punch and power that they really need. The introduction to 'Angels To Others', with it's excellent clean vocals layered over languid drumming and calming samples, has been going around my head for days, but methinks a bigger budget and studio production would give it the kind of punch that would make it a devastating prospect.
Highly inventive, in possession of some killer riffs, by turns savage and soothing, The Hollow Earth Theory could well be in the position to take up the fallen Earthtone 9's crown as kings of the British metal scene - and with material like this, the record deal needed to push this band to the next level surely can't be far away.
9/10
Official The Hollow Earth Theory Website
Self-released - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Last weekend, I was standing just outside the Napster Stage at the Download festival. The reason I was standing outside was because the entire marquee was rammed full of people checking out Raging Speedhorn. Me and my other half decided to stick around outside to at least listen, and at one break in between the songs, heard brick-shithouse vocalist Tony Loughlin gruffly announce "Some cheeky fucker's lobbed a demo at us. 'Angels To Others'? What the fuck's that?". Later in the weekend, the singer of Every Time I Die got a copy flung at him as well. "Oooh, demo!" He screeched happily. "Good promotion, guys!".
This tells you pretty much all you need to know about the dedication The Hollow Earth Theory have to their music, and that passion shows through in the four tracks within Angels To Others. Coming across like some psychotic amalgamation of Earthtone 9, Zero Cipher and Faith No More, this EP throws such notions as conventional song-structure and genre boundaries straight out the window, preferring instead blasts of Candiria-style noisecore riffage in the middle of breakdowns ('Still Rising'), pleasingly melodic pretention-free prog introductions ('Angels To Others') and various other diversions that you simply can't see coming, but make perfect sense in the context of the record.
Self-recorded and produced, this EP has a commendable clarity, which allows the instrumental prowess of each member to shine forth. Check out the rapid-fire double-kick drumming that powers opening track 'Like Summer' to it's first riff, or the seemingly random, brief guitar spazz-outs that occur at certain points. However, one can't help but feel that The Hollow Earth Theory would benefit massively from a full studio production, just to give their dynamic song-writing chops the punch and power that they really need. The introduction to 'Angels To Others', with it's excellent clean vocals layered over languid drumming and calming samples, has been going around my head for days, but methinks a bigger budget and studio production would give it the kind of punch that would make it a devastating prospect.
Highly inventive, in possession of some killer riffs, by turns savage and soothing, The Hollow Earth Theory could well be in the position to take up the fallen Earthtone 9's crown as kings of the British metal scene - and with material like this, the record deal needed to push this band to the next level surely can't be far away.
9/10
Official The Hollow Earth Theory Website
